Man who assaulted six police officers is jailed

A man who acted in a threatening manner in a Whitby restauarant and then assualted six police officers has been sentenced to 32 weeks in prison.

Appearing at York Magistrates on Monday morning (16 January 2023), 33-year-old Lee Brown of no fixed address pleaded guilty to entering Trenchers restaurant at around 5pm on Friday 13 January and demanding and helping himself to food from behind the counter, while using abusive and threatening language.

Police were called by restaurant staff and concerned customers who at first thought a robbery was taking place at around 5.05pm. Officers were immediately dispatched and by 5.13pm Brown had been arrested and was on his way to police custody. While in custody he continued to act in a volatile and abusive manner and assaulted six police officers.

He was charged with theft of food, using threatening and abusive language with the intent to cause fear and six charges of assaulting an emergency worker. He was remanded in custody until his appearance at Magistrates Court this morning where he pleaded guilty to all the charges and was handed a 32-week prison sentence and ordered to pay compensation to his victims.

Speaking about the incident Detective Superintendent Graeme Wright, Commander for Scarborough and Ryedale said

“This was a really upsetting and alarming incident for the staff and customers of the restaurant to witness on a Sunday afternoon in Whitby. I’d like to thank them for their swift action reporting it to police, which enabled officers to attend and quickly make the situation safe by arresting Brown.

“Sadly when taken to the police station, Brown continued to act in a volatile and abusive manner and went on to assault a number of officers as they carried out their duties ensuring he was safe when in custody – spitting and urinating on them when they conducted safety checks.

“I hope the speed with which Brown has been dealt with and put behind bars sends a clear message that we will not tolerate any threats or acts of violence against members of the public or the dedicated officers who work so hard to keep our community safe.”

North Yorkshire Police, Court results